Working Together in Response Groups/Writing Time

Despite some traffic delays, Session 2 of the Professional Writing Institute at Rutgers University is off to a great start! My two main objectives for participants in today's session are to 1. allow time for working together in response groups, and 2. provide a big block of time designated for independent writing.

Before the groups started to give feedback today, we took some time to establish some "dos" and "don'ts" of Response Group Protocol. Here's what participants had to say:

DO - Listen/Comment on what's working/Offer advice, guidance, examples if the writer is open to it/Establish "what's on the table" with a Writer's Memo/Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal comfort cues/Use "I" statements/Focus on content

DON'T - Focus on mechanics with a first draft/Talk when receiving feedback/Judge/Cry :(

There are three response groups in the room right now. The energy is palpable. Teacher-writers are listening and sharing their progress since the last session.

I decided to give back the index cards that participants composed at Session 1. I figured the index cards would serve as reminders of our original intentions on that first day. I even hear one participant say, "I was trying to think of a title for my article... and here it is on this card from last time!" Perfect.

Changing Course or Chickening Out?

So, I've been at this professional writing thing for a month now, and I've written thousands of words for my article, but now I'm feeling like my idea is not going the way I thought it would. I feel like I'm not really bringing anything new to the table in terms of my approach to teaching writing (which seemed really revolutionary when I started it last year!). Now, I'm feeling like I have a better idea (similar to my first idea, but not similar enough to use any of what I've already written). My dilemma is this: am I really and truly finding that my original idea was just not meaty enough yet for an article and, thus, rightfully and intelligently changing course, or am I just chickening out and retreating into something new to avoid pushing through the tough stuff? I've seen students abandon essay after essay in favor of a different, more promising topic because they feel that each previous topic was "not working." Nine times out of ten, starting over is a bad idea because it's not the topic; it's the writer. What to do from here? Keep pushing the original idea, or store it away for future use and pursue the new?